Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Quality of Community Life Among Rural Residents: An Integrated Model

  • Published:
Social Indicators Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to explore the relationships among housing satisfaction, community attachment and community satisfaction and the complex mechanisms involved in predicting community satisfaction among residents in rural communities. The role of housing satisfaction and community attachment in predicting community satisfaction was of particular interest. A structural equation model of community satisfaction was tested with mail survey data drawn from a randomly selected rural sample of 974 households. The results of this study confirmed the influences and mediating role of community attachment and housing satisfaction in predicting community satisfaction. “Spillover” effects from “lower levels of life concerns” (e.g., satisfaction with local services, assessment of current housing conditions) in perceived community satisfaction were found that support previous research (Sirgy and Cornwell in Social Indicators Research 59:79–114, 2002).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Barcus, H. R. (2004). Urban-Rural migration in the USA: An analysis of residential satisfaction. Rural Studies, 38(6), 643–657.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beamish, J. O. (1994). Causal model of barriers and incentives to affordable housing in southern rural communities: Housing quality. Housing & Society, 21(1), 25–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Benson, J.D. (2001). A place in the hills: fiscal impact and social analysis of suburbanization in the Loess hills counties of Iowa. Master’s thesis, Iowa State University, Ames.

  • Brown, R. B. (1993). Rural community satisfaction and attachment in mass consumer society. Rural Sociology, 58(3), 387–403.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bruin, M. J., & Cook, C. C. (1997). Understanding constraints and residential satisfaction among low-income single-parent families. Environment and Behavior, 29(4), 532–554. doi:10.1177/001391659702900405.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, A., Converse, P. E., & Rodgers, W. L. (1976). The quality of American life: Perspectives, evaluations, and satisfaction. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cook, C. C. (1988). Components of neighborhood satisfaction: Responses from urban and suburban single-parent women. Environment and Behavior, 20(2), 115–149. doi:10.1177/0013916588202001.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crull, S. R. (1994). Housing satisfaction of households at risk of serious housing problems. Housing & Society, 21(2), 41–51.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crull, S. R., & Cook, C. C. (2000). Housing and economic vitality in rural Midewest counties. Housing & Society, 27, 16–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dillman, D. A. (1978). Mail and telephone survey: The total design method. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Filkins, R., Allen, J. C., & Cordes, S. (2000). Predicting community satisfaction among rural residents: An integrated model. Rural Sociology, 61(1), 72–86. American Sociological Society.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fledman, R. (1990). Settlement-identity, psychological bonds with home places in mobile society. Environment and Behavior, 22(2), 183–229. doi:10.1177/0013916590222002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goudy, W. J. (1977). Evaluation of local attributes and community satisfaction in small towns. Rural Sociology, 42, 371–382.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goudy, W. J. (1990). Community attachment in a rural region. Rural Sociology, 55, 178–198.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoppe, R. A. (1991). The elderly’s income and rural development: Some cautions. Rural Development Perspectives, 7, 27–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • Joreskog, K. G. (1993). Lisrel: A guide to the program and applications. Chicago, IL: SPSS, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Landale, N. S., & Guest, A. M. (1985). Constrains, satisfaction and residential mobility: Speare’s model reconsidered. Demography, 22, 199–221. doi:10.2307/2061178.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leventhal, T., & Brook-Gunn, J. (2003). Children and youth in neighborhood context. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 12(1), 27–31. doi:10.1111/1467-8721.01216.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu, Q. A., Ryan, V., Aurbach, H., & Besser, T. (1998). The influence of local church participation on rural community attachment. Rural Sociology, 63(3), 432–451.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lu, M. (1998). Analyzing migration decision-making: Relationships between residential satisfaction, mobility intentions, and moving behavior. Environmental & Planning, 30, 1473–1495. doi:10.1068/a301473.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maynard, L. J., Kelsey, T. W., Thee, R. J., & Fousekis, P. (1997). Rural migration: What attracts new residents to non-metropolitan areas. Journal of the Community Development Society, 28(1), 131–141.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mesh, G. S., & Manor, O. (1998). Social ties, environmental perception and local attachment. Environment and Behavior, 30(4), 504–516. doi:10.1177/001391659803000405.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parkes, A., Kearns, A., & Atkinson, R. (2002). What makes people dissatisfied with their neighborhoods? Urban Studies (Edinburgh, Scotland), 39(13), 2413–2438. doi:10.1080/0042098022000027031.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pinkerton, J. R., Hassinger, E. W., & O’Brien, D. J. (1995). In-shopping by residents of small communities. Rural Sociology, 60(3), 467–480.

    Google Scholar 

  • Richmond, L., Filson, G. C., Paine, W. C., Pfeiffer, & Taylor,. Jr. (2000). Non-farm rural Ontario residents’ perceived quality of life. Social Indicators Research, 50, 159–186. doi:10.1023/A:1007043530451.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shin, D. C. (1980). Subjective indicators and the comparative evaluation of the quality of community life. American Journal of Community Psychology, 8(5), 523–535. doi:10.1007/BF00912590.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sirgy, J., & Cornwell, T. (2002). How neighborhood features affect quality of life. Social Indicators Research, 59, 79–114. doi:10.1023/A:1016021108513.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sirgy, J., Rahtz, D. R., Cicic, M., & Underwood, R. (2000). A method for assessing residents’ satisfaction with community-based services: A quality-of-life perspective. Social Indicators Research, 49, 279–316. doi:10.1023/A:1006990718673.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Speare, A. (1974). Residential satisfaction as an intervening variable in residential mobility. Demography, 11(2), 173–188. doi:10.2307/2060556.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sweaney, A. L., Manley, K. S., et al. (2004). Rural workforce housing: Perceived barriers and incentives for development. Housing & Society, 31(1), 15–28.

    Google Scholar 

  • Therodori, G. L. (2001). Examining the effects of community satisfaction and attachment on individual well-being. Rural Sociology, 66(4), 618–629.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vrbka, S. J., & Combs, E. R. (1993). Predictors of neighborhood and community satisfaction in rural communities. Housing & Society, 20(1), 41–49.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ziebarth, A., Prochaska-Cue, K., & Shrewsbury, B. (1997). Growth and location impacts for housing in small communities. Rural Sociology, 62(1), 111–125.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Seongyeon Auh.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Auh, S., Cook, C.C. Quality of Community Life Among Rural Residents: An Integrated Model. Soc Indic Res 94, 377–389 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-008-9427-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-008-9427-0

Keywords

Navigation